Technical Abstract:
We successfully used a genomics approach to discover viral pathogens in the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Psyllidae). These psyllids are vectors of the devastating disease, Huanglongbing, now affecting citrus in the USA, and world wide. Discovery of viral pathogens of psyllids may provide much needed biological control agents for use in the management and reduction of HLB in citrus. The psyllid-infecting Reovirus was shown to be related to another virus, NPLV, in this group which infects planthoppers, a closely related group of insects. Examination determined that the infection rates within psyllid populations were 20% in cultures of psyllids in the lab, and 55% in field collected psyllids. The psyllid Reovirus, referred to as DcRV-1, was shown to negatively affect cell viability in an insect cell line, SF9. These data suggest this new Reovirus may have potential as a biological control for psyllid populations. Identification and characterization of these genes and proteins has already provided the development of new molecular markers, and other tools such as microarrays to conduct further functional genomic studies for the development of new management strategies against psyllids and the diseases they transmit.